Southern Ohio, 2014

[RedneckExpress]

Kevin, you know that Millenicom resells verizon hotspot service for $89.99 a month for 20gbs, right? 

http://www.rvmobileinternet.com/resources/millenicomverizon/

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I'll check it out Redneck!

Spent all day building catapults for tomorrow, then had to go out for marshmallows and drinking water, etc.  Hopefully we have another busy and profitable weekend!

Only one more weekend here after this, then its back to North Carolina until Thanksgiving.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

OUTSTANDING weekend at the Ohio Renaissance Festival!  We'll have to build a HECK of a lot of catapults this coming week!

I ordered 2 more sets (4 total) of the T-18 LED bulbs from Starlight Revolution, so they should be here this week as well.  That's enough to replace the lights in 2 more fixtures, so we'll only have 2 more to go, the ones in the bedroom.  These are to replace the florescent bulbs in the Thin Lite fixtures, of which this rig has MANY.

Should cut power usage a tad, and these lights are BRIGHT!  I love the ones we already have.  31 bucks a bulb though makes it the kind of thing I buy a little here, and a little there.  But getting there!

Lots to do this coming week, then one more weekend, then its off to North Carolina!

Kev

[pvoth1111]

hey kev got a got a link to starlight for them bulbs???

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yep!  And sorry about the typo...its 38 bucks a bulb, but its free shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171006497581?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Got all my materials today, so tomorrow its going to be a LOT of table sawing and planing and cutting.  Then a trip to the local gun shop for lead shot (or a long trip to the Dayton, Ohio Gander Mountain) for the trebuchets...and just a busy mess of a whole lot of work for the rest of the week as well.

I figured out what I'll need to mount the new captain's chairs in the RV, so hopefully I'll have some time before the end of the week to skate out and get the parts at Lowes.  I want to install the chairs AFTER the coming weekend so the pups don't mess them up while we are at work.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

HUGE run of catapults well on their way!  We'll be finished no problem by the weekend.  I got the parts to install the captain's chairs, so I'll do that on Monday.  The new LED T18 bulbs will be delivered tomorrow, so I'll try to squeeze in installing them before the weekend so I'll have less to do next week...since we have to pack it all down, load it all up, and head to North Carolina by Thursday of next week.  I want to arrive in the Carolina Renaissance Festival parking lot by Friday evening, and roll into our campsite bright and early Saturday morning.  I hope they didn't get too much rain in Carolina like we've been having in Ohio!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Our last weekend at the Ohio Renaissance Festival coming right up!  Then we are on our way to Huntersville, NC for the Carolina Renaissance Festival.  We'll be leaving here on Thursday and arriving in their parking lot sometime Friday afternoon. 

This has been a profitable show!  The last 4 weeks here will be taken over by our franchisees. 

On Monday I'll be installing the "new" captain's chairs and the 4 new Starlight T-18 LED bulbs.  Then doing some catapult prep work on Tuesday, packing down everything and getting the rig ready on Wednesday, and hitting the road on Thursday.  Busy busy!

Kev

[M & J]

What route will you be heading south on Kev?

[ClydesdaleKevin]

DRIVING DIRECTIONS
--------------------------------------------------
A) 317 Brimstone Rd, Wilmington, OH 45177-8531 US
--------------------------------------------------
    1. Start out going south on Brimstone Rd/County Hwy-52 toward OH-73/E State
Route 73.  (go 0.4 miles)
    2. Turn left onto W State Route 73/OH-73.  (go 2.48 miles)
    3. Merge onto I-71 N via the ramp on the left toward Columbus.
      - If you are on W State Route 73 and reach Denny Rd you've gone a little too far
  (go 19.89 miles)
    4. Take EXIT 65 toward US-35/Washington C H.  (go 0.31 miles)
    5. Turn right onto US Highway 35 NW/OH-435.
      - Hardee's is on the right
      - If you reach I-71 N you've gone about 0.3 miles too far
  (go 0.51 miles)
    6. Merge onto US-35 E toward Washington C H.  (go 42.48 miles)
    7. Keep left to take US-35 E toward Athens/Jackson (Crossing into West
Virginia).  (go 95.12 miles)
    8. Merge onto I-64 E toward Charleston (Portions toll).  (go 78.7 miles)
    9. Keep right to take I-77 S toward Princeton/Bluefield (Portions toll)
(Crossing into Virginia).  (go 75.4 miles)
    10. Merge onto I-77 S via EXIT 81 toward Charlotte NC (Crossing into North
Carolina).  (go 112.36 miles)
    11. Take EXIT 25 toward Concord.  (go 0.32 miles)
    12. Turn left onto NC-73/Sam Furr Rd. Continue to follow NC-73.  (go 6.64 miles)
    13. Turn right onto Poplar Tent Rd.
      - Poplar Tent Rd is 0.2 miles past Stanley McElrath Rd
      - Fifth Third Bank is on the corner
      - If you reach Davinci Dr you've gone a little too far
  (go 0.14 miles)
    14. 16445 POPLAR TENT RD is on the right.
      - If you reach Middlecrest Dr NW you've gone about 0.7 miles too far
  (go 0 miles)
--------------------------------------------------
B) 16445 Poplar Tent Rd, Huntersville, NC 28078-4620 US
--------------------------------------------------
>> TOTAL ESTIMATED TIME: 7 hours 6 minutes | DISTANCE: 434.74 miles

[circleD]

FYI. There's been some road work on Hwy 73 in NC. I'll check middle of next week before you head down. Also, early morning and late evening is the WORST traffic ever for I-77 and Hwy 73.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

If we aren't traveling on weekends, we time our approach into and out of cities for around noon...lol!  Its all about planning if you don't want to get stuck in traffic.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Captains chairs are installed!  Took all day...had to get VERY creative with converting the driver's chair to power...but it works, they look great, and are super comfortable.  SWEET!  Not bad for a hundred bucks for the pair!  Pictures coming soon!

Tomorrow morning early I'll install the LED T-18 bulbs, then back to work building catapults!  Gotta get a lot done before we leave here on Thursday!

Kev

[pvoth1111]

Keep rubbing it in about those  chairs..... W%....cant wait to see the pics.....don't mind me just jealous.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL!  If you don't mind driving all the way to Xenia, Ohio, there are still 2 more sitting in that conversion van!

Now, on to the LED bulbs!

Kev

[pvoth1111]

The cost of getting there and back from south Florida would make the great purchase price moot someone else go get em so I can be jealous of you too 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Got the LEDs installed in no time...then added 10 gallons of gas to the RV fuel tank and 35 gallons of water to the freshwater tank.  Then got my employee started on catapults.  Then dropped the laundry off at the laundromat...for a dollar a pound, I'd rather drop it off and have them do it then sit there all day! (We don't use our washer/dryer when boondocking, although we'll use the washer and a clothesline once in a while out in the desert).

Today, its catapult prep work, pick up the laundry, and start packing everything down!

Kev

[pvoth1111]

Safe journey... we are all with ya every mile.

[circleD]

I asked some guys who live on your route here on I-77 and Hwy 73. No construction but just the usual traffic mess that you're aware of. The weather will be NICE here this weekend. Becareful

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Up early (thank the gods for furry alarm clocks!), and about to go to the shop to start the great packdown and cleanup.  Shouldn't take too long!  My employee Crystal is coming in at 9am to finish the last run of catapults while I clean and pack down.  I'm expecting out friends Andy and Brian to be there around 11am, and they'll be setting up their stuff while I finish packing out our stuff.

I really hope the weather has been fairly dry in the Huntersville, NC area for the last few weeks!  It makes getting into our campsite a LOT easier if it isn't wet and muddy.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

All packed up and mostly ready to go first thing in the morning!  RV fuel tank is full, shop is packed down and everything is loaded in the RV and the Blazer, more water added to the freshwater tank, showers taken, dinner cooked, and man are we tired...lol!

Not much to do tomorrow morning before we get out of here.  Take the Tailgater satellite dish off the roof, load the bicycles on the ladder rack, make sure all is battoned down, then drive down to the main parking lot, hook up the K5, disco its driveshaft, and off we go!  We should get through Cincinnati after rush hour traffic, Louisville area too, and shouldn't be in any metropolitan area during the rush hours.  Its 435 miles, so we are estimating a 9+ hour drive, which will bring us to the Huntersville area and all those roads after rush hour as well.

Oh yeah...I also have to remember to remove the clamp I put on the return line to keep the generator running all nice and well like it has been.  So I won't forget, I made a big sign with a Sharpee that says "REMOVE GENNY CLAMP!" and tucked it over the tambor door over the driver's seat so I can't possibly miss it and forget...lol!

Next stop, Huntersville, North Carolina!  I'll be posting another post here tomorrow morning, and then this chapter will end.  The next chapter?  North Carolina 2014 of course!

Kev

[DonD]

Safe travel and blue skies.

[circleD]

We just had 2 days of drizzle rain and things are damp. Should be fine by tomorrow evening. Becareful.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We made it all the way to the Flying J in Wytheville, VA...only 123 miles to go tomorrow morning!  Was getting way to dark to drive these twisty mountain roads at the speed I like to travel...45mph...lol!  7.2mpg so far, even in the mountains!  Got takeout dinner from Denny's so we wouldn't have to cook tonight.  Potroast for Patti, and 2 meat lover's omelets (no bread or taters) for me.  We'll get to site pretty early tomorrow, then sign the overnight release in the office (they'll probably be hellaciously busy for anything else), then I'll prepare our campsite while we boondock out in the parking lot.  First thing Sunday morning we'll pull into our campsite, and the great setup begins!  Its going to be a busy week!

Thus endeth this chapter.  Look for the new one I'll create tomorrow, North Carolina, 2014.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

By the way, the new captains chairs are amazingly comfy, and my back doesn't hurt at all! Great lumbar support!  LOVE the new seats!

Kev